


In The Crowd, All I See Is You

by andthesunranon



Category: TREASURE (Korea Band), YG Treasure Box (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, But only a little, But they love him anyway, Chimeras, Crack, Crushes, Dragons, Fantasy elements, Highschool AU, Kitsunes, M/M, Nereids, Nymphs - Freeform, Shenanigans, This is DUMB, Vampires, Werewolves, asahi is weird, cause canon, chaotic richh bitch, class president hyunsuk, everyone is in love with mashi, everyone is mostly the same age, haruto is mean, jeongwoo is chaos in the shape of a human, jock jaehyuk, junghwan is a baby still, new student junkyu, popular boy doyoung, popular boy jihoon, transfer students, yedam is kind of a player, yoshi is just here to be supportive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26796283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andthesunranon/pseuds/andthesunranon
Summary: Junkyu starts a new highschool, where he's shown around by a very friendly class president- there are many students to meet, including a boy who looks a bit like a lion who talks to him like they've known each other for every, a sly looking music student who causes crowds at the lockers, and two incredibly rich, pale students who strut through the school like they own it. Everyone is far more welcoming than he had been expecting, and all have strange and unique abilities....
Comments: 32
Kudos: 53





	1. The Crowd

**Author's Note:**

> Playlist:
> 
> Treasure- Come To Me  
> M.I.A- Bad Girls (for someone's introduction-you'll know it when you see it ;) ...)

Junkyu is so nervous on the way to class that he barely notices the cold wind that twirls around his body, bent forward by the speed of his nervous shuffling. He stops only once, to ask directions from a staff member waiting by the door, and manages to bump into a total of three students before he finally reaches the right room. Before he can stop to think, he peeks his head around the doorframe. He can feel the nervous smile stuck on his face so stubbornly it’s starting to make his cheeks hurt, but he can’t seem to shake it. 

“-should be discussed with your-” the teacher talking from behind the small, tattered desk at the front stops as her eyes find Junkyu’s in alarm. Oh, so he does look as crazed as he thought. “You must be our new student?”

Junkyu’s smile refuses to let him form words, so he nods in a way he hopes isn’t frantic and steps a tiny pace into the classroom. All eyes have snapped to him, so he keeps his gaze on the teacher, reluctant to find himself glaring back at surly students quite so early in his first day.

The teacher comes closer to hand him the same papers everyone else is holding. He glances at his timetable briefly and gulps, shifting his weight from foot to foot. The teacher, his tutor for the year, places a hand on his arm and smiles- “What was your name again?”

“E-Oh, Junkyu, Miss. Sorry.”

The teacher laughs and pats his arm. “Well, nice to meet you Junkyu. If you have any questions or worries let me know, but for today the class president has agreed to help you get used to things here.”

Junkyu’s eyes dart around, his lips already pouting around a question as his gaze lands on the boy at the back window. He’s waving a hand in the air, a bright smile on his face as he looks back at them- the class president, then.

The teacher leaves him, so he takes his que to stumble to the back, where the other boy pulls out the chair of the empty table next to his. He’s still smiling, and his face looks friendly and warm enough, mature enough to be a teacher-favorite. It’s his hair that’s surprising- it’s been dyed a greeny shade of blue, styled smartly away from his forehead, but still hardly school regulation. There’s a smart, dark blazer over his shoulders, but where his feet swing under his desk, Junkyu can see his white trainers are splattered with ripples of neon paint. He waits for Junkyu to sit and then sticks out a hand. 

“Hey, I’m Hyunsuk.” He folds Junkyu’s hand into something more familiar and less formal than a handshake that secures Junkyu’s impression of him. He tries not to pull back, but Junkyu can feel the jolt when their hands make contact, and when Hyunsuk draws his hand away, it’s to rub them together with a comical shocked expression. “Waw, you really are nervous. If it’s about getting lost, I can show you around a bit, if you’d like?”

“That’s probably a good idea, I’m pretty bad at directions.”

“Ok, well we can fix that-” Junkyu lets him believe that, for now at least- “and don’t worry about being lonely either. There’s loads of nice people to talk to, and you look like you’ll fit right in.”

Again, Junkyu let’s him believe it. Hyunusk seems welcoming and social, but he’s yet to find out how loud and weird Junkyu is, and he’d rather keep that to himself for the time being. He already feels like he sticks out enough, between his height and the expensive leather jacket he’s wearing. It was a sorry-you-had-to-transfer-school gift disguised as a birthday present, but the other students don’t know that.

They’re dismissed from their tutor, and Junkyu quickly finds himself sandwiched between two other boys.

“This is Jaehyuk,” Hyunsuk says, gesturing to the grinning student who had appeared with the sound of the bell, attaching himself to Junkyu’s side as if he’d always been there.

“Good morning,” he says in a rapsy, gentle voice. He sounds exactly like he looks, Junkyu thinks- his smile is boxy and wide, sharp in a way that might look intimidating if it wasn’t for the kind eyes and mop of black hair constantly being shaken from them, and he’s tall and sturdy but moves in an easy, bouncy way that makes him look young.

“And this is Junghwan. Junghwan Jaehyuk, Junkyu,” Hyunsuk finishes the introductions, walking a pace ahead of them as he cuts a way through the crowded corridors.

“Hi,” Junghwan mutters, much shyer. His eyes barely leave the ground, but Jaehyuk beams brighter and drops an arm over Junkyu’s shoulder, pulling him closer.

“You’ll probably see a lot of Jaehyuk, he’s in most of our classes. Junghwan’s younger than us though. These are the science labs, by the way.” Hyunsuk waves at the walls and the lockers as he goes, pointing out the toilets, the break rooms, the hidden stairways that are ‘technically’ off limits, but provide good shortcuts when you're running late. “You know, just for when you’re really desperate.”

“I thought you were the class president?” Junkyu says incredulously.

“You haven’t met the rest of the class yet,” Jaehyuk mutters in his ear. Hyunsuk just rolls his eyes.

They walk him to his locker in a way that feels a bit like an escort, and Jaehyuk leans against it as Junghwan excuses himself to try to sprint across school grounds before his next period.

Hyunsuk has one hand on the top of his locker door, his tour continuing as Junkyu unloads his stuff into the small metal rectangle.

“-he’s mostly fine if you do your work and keep your head down, we only have him once a week anyway. He picks favorites, but I’m afraid that’s not too rare here.”

“Speaking of,” Jaehyuk mumbles. 

They turn to see him jutt his chin to the other side of the corridor, where other students have started gathering around lockers. Or rather, one locker, where a short but stylish boy is chatting to them as they walk slowly on their ways. The glances and smiles and giggles are enough explanation, but as the cause of traffic half turns to nod at someone, Junkyu catches sight of high cheekbones and sly eyes.

Hyunsuk hums. “Ah, that’s Bang Yedam.”

Junkyu raises an eyebrow at him and Hyunsuk waves a hand dismissively.

“No, no, we like him. Pretty much everyone does, he’s cool.” He leans in to whisper, his nose scrunched up cutely: “He’s just a bit of a player.”

Junkyu laughs, and closes his locker.

“He’s in the same clique as Hyunsuk, so sadly we’re stuck with him,” Jaehyuk says fondly.

“And what clique is that, huh?”

“Teacher’s favorites who are somehow also the worst students you will ever meet?” Jaehyuk says, paying no mind to how Hyunsuk has puffed up his small frame as big as he can, until a kick is aimed in his direction. He dodges it and tries again. “Artsy music prodigies?’

Junkyu cuts off Hyunsuk’s spluttering, feeling their happiness catching- “What’s Jaehyuk’s clique?”

“That’d be jock,” Hyunsuk says as Jaehyuk offers them a bow, “he’s on the track and soccer teams, he’s really good.”

Junkyu can’t help but feel Hyunsuk is missing the opportunity to drag him, but the pride in his voice sounds real. Both of their grins widen as he adds- “So is Jeongwoo, who I’m sure you’ll meet soon enough.”

“Any other cliques I should know of?”

“Just the usual things- science geeks, stoners, popular kids. Nothing you won’t have seen before.” 

“Actually,” Hyunsuk pipes up, “you probably transferred at a good time. There’s a few exchange students who joined a month or two ago, so they’re pretty new too.”

Jaehyuk makes a sound like he’s swallowing laughter, but it’s lost in a sudden clamour. Another bell goes somewhere, and Hyunsuk tells Junkyu where they’re supposed to be next. Jaehyuk picks his bag up from where he dropped it at his feet, but his face changes as he straightens. He shakes his head: “Oh, we missed one.”

“What?” 

Hyunusk spins with a confused frown, and they follow Jaehyuk’s gaze where he stares over their heads. The double doors at the end of the corridor are still open to the lot outside, and Hyunsuk seems to understand as they watch people spin towards the parking lot. Distantly, Junkyu can hear music being played, loud.

“Here comes the one percent.”

From the gaps in the frozen crowd, Junkyu can see the sleek limo parked just at the door. Two students step out as if in slow motion, straightening in the sun as heads turn in their direction. Thoughts on his own clothes vanish as soon as Junkyu sees them- their clothes look so expensive, they make his look like ill-kept hand me downs. Their skin is pale, and gleams, as they hold their heads high. Even their posture screams money. The one at the front most of all.

His hair is pink and ruffled over a tiny, sharp face. It’s a similar colour to the fur he’s wearing, a ridiculous feathery coat slung over black, shredded clothes. He takes two steps and shrugs it off, throwing it to the side. Someone out of sight catches it, but he continues forward without a glance. His eyes are dark and shining, but Junkyu only sees them for a second- just as the man steps into the shade, he drops huge dark sunglasses onto his nose. The students on the steps part for them to slink past.

The air changes as they step inside. 

The second boy follows him as they stride down the corridor, his posture more upright than the other’s confident ease, stiff and graceful like his elegant face. His hair is dark, and his eyes wider and blank, the contrast of the first boy in a high-collared, frilly white shirt. He stares straight ahead, as if no one else is worth his attention.

Just as Junkyu realises he’s staring at the strangers, the first boy’s head turns in his direction. Heart shaped lips part around gleaming teeth in a wide-mouthed smile, the kind that would only look good on someone so attractive, and then, just as quick, they’re gone, vanishing around a corner.

Hyunsuk’s eyes flicker over Junkyu when he turns again. He answers his question before he can find his tongue to ask it. “Jihoon and Doyoung, but trust me, that’s a conversation for another time. Come on, we’re going to be late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who got the 'here comes the one percent' line... you're a real one  
> Bad Girls is Jihoon's SoNg I'm sorry, I don't make the rules
> 
> Thanks for reading as always- comments are highly appreciated!


	2. A Place At The Table

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
> Left Hand Free- alt-J (Hyunusk's song)  
> Kissing Strangers- DNCE

By the time Hyunsuk is guiding Junkyu out of their second shared class (Jaehyuk had left them after the first, and Junkyu hadn’t been introduced to anyone else), the halls are erupting with sound and movement. The echoes of yells and laughter bounce around him as he hesitates in the sudden crowds, but then Hyunsuk is turning back to smile at him, and dragging him forward with a hand at his sleeve.

The cafeteria opens up to him as they burst through the wide doorway.

“Yo Hyunsuk, who’s the new kid,” the loud voice of a tall, dark haired man yells as he spins around them.

“You’ll meet him in a sec,” Hyunsuk yells back, gesturing to the side of the room. 

The boy nods at him and disappears again. Hyunsuk tugs Junkyu to the side.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat.” He guides them into a fast moving line, and waits patiently for Junkyu to grab whatever he wants from the half dozen counters. He’s making an effort not to stare at Junkyu too closely, but just as they reach the end, his hand shoots out. Junkyu can only try to scrabble for the notes, but Hyunsuk pulls him away with a hand at his waist.

“Thanks again,” he grins over his shoulder to the man behind the register, and Junkyu finds himself being guided away again before he can protest further. “It’s your first day, my treat.”

Junkyu huffs at Hyunsuk’s pleased smile, muttering “How are you so strong...”

Hyunsuk laughs as he tries to look offended, and points Junkyu into a seat. He’s taken them to a long table at the back of the cafeteria, sitting right under a wall full of frosted glass windows. Some students are already sitting there, bickering and throwing scraps of food across the table. Junkyu finds himself next to Junghwan, Hyunsuk across from him between the raven-haired boy who had spoken to them a moment ago and a boy he doesn’t recognise. There’s another familiar face next to him, his chair crooked so he sits at the corner of the table.

“Oh,” Jaehyuk says, dodging a piece of bread flying at him, “Junkyu!”

Junkyu smiles tightly at him, trying not to notice the silence that has interrupted the comfortable riot of the friendship group he has no part in. Junghwan’s not glaring at him, at least, but even here he’s shy enough to only nod at Junkyu slightly, not speaking.

The boy next to Jaehyuk glances between him and Junkyu, blinking. “Wait, who is this?”

“Jealous?” Jaehyuk asks with a sly smile. The other boy throws his head back in irritation, rolling his eyes in Hyunsuk’s direction instead.

“Junkyu just transferred schools, I said I’d show him around a bit.”

The lulling head rolls back in his direction, and Junkyu feels himself gulp under the sharp, slanted eyes on him. The boy’s hair is light, a similar colour to the gold of his skin, and most of his face is made up of sharp cheekbones, a straight nose. Junkyu finds it a little hard to look at him.

“I’ll stop intruding once I know my way around more,” he feels himself saying.

“Hey,” Jaehyuk wines and bats the boy on the chest.

He whines and rubs at the spot, but sits up straighter, frowning at Hyunsuk. 

“Don’t mind Jeongwoo, he didn’t mean that. He just gets a bit---protective?” Hyunsuk tries the word out with a twisted expression, holding a hand out as if asking the group.

“Dumb?” The raven-haired boy next to him offers. A fry bounces off his shoulder, but his black face barely changes as he turns to Junkyu- “Haruto. Nice to meet you.”

Junkyu greets him. Jeongwoo is still looking at Hyunsuk, and Junkyu feels there’s some unspoken conversation that he’s missing. Jeongwoo finally looks away with a slump, and Jaehyuk pats the back of his head. His eyes are kinder when he addresses Junkyu again.

“If you're with Hyunsuk you can stay, but” Jeongwoo wrinkles his nose and points a finger down at Junkyu’s tray “what’s with all the fish?”

Junkyu looks down at the mountain of sushi he had accidentally made Hyunsuk pay for. He isn’t sure how much he should say- he isn’t the type to keep secrets, or be overly private, but he can’t speak for the rest of the table. Reluctant to make them uncomfortable, he settles for a slow- “I- I just like fish.”

Now that its been mentioned, though, he feels he can look over the other trays, which he has been desperately trying not to do. He instantly feels better about his strange selection.

Hyunsuk’s tray is stacked with huge hamburgers and nothing else- Haruto, next to him, eats the same, but keeps stopping to pick off the vegetables and hand the bread to Junghwan. Jeongwoo’s tray contains only bones of what seems to have been a chicken, and he chews on one absently, teeth grazing the already clean surface. A few chips lie to one side, but he ignores them so intently that Junkyu guesses they’re more for ammunition than sustenance. A selection of all of the other’s menus fill Junghwan’s tray; Jaehyuk doesn’t have a tray at all, and instead is just eating from a bag of lettuce that makes Junkyu’s trust for him go through the floor. He catches Junkyu staring and tilts it forward.

“No thank you” Junkyu says. 

Introductions being over, the group falls back into its usual patterns. Despite his first impression, Jeongwoo is actually the loudest of the group, and quickly goes back to his energetic wittering at Jaehyuk. Jaehyuk encourages him with a warm smile (that Junkyu is discovering never really leaves his face), and Haruto jumps in every now and again to add a drawled, sarcastic comment that only makes Jeongwoo more animated. Hyunsuk for the most part sits quietly, calmly following the conversation. At times he reprimands the noise, or one of Haruto’s comments that's perhaps a little too sharp, and the others listen. Junghwan does nothing but giggle, and Junkyu already feels himself growing fond, as he watches the boy get handed scraps of all the others food, which he eats one by one whilst Hyunsuk rubs unconscious circles into his back. 

Without the pressure of having to join into the conversation, Junkyu finds a peculiar urge rear its head. 

When Hyunsuk turns to say something into the younger boy's ear, Junkyu reaches to the side and sets a piece of sushi onto his plate. Both of their eyes flicker to him in surprise, but Hyunsuk nods at Junghwan. He watches as the boy drops the roll into his mouth and chews, studying his expression.

Junkyu’s stomach flips as he sees Junghwan’s face twist unhappily.

Hyunsuk laughs though, and claps happily. “Hey guys, there’s something he doesn’t eat!” All heads snap their way, but just as Junkyu is deciding if they’re being mean, Hyunsuk continues, “Junghwan’s too young to have presented yet. We don’t know what he’s going to be, so we’ve been placing bets.”

“Ahhhhhhhhh” Junkyu sighs, feeling his eyes run over Junghwan despite himself.

Junghwan has started blushing, and Jaehyuk coos at him. Jeongwoo’s eyes travel to Jungkyu’s tray as he seems to understand. “God damn it!”

“ _Please_ tell me you weren’t being serious with Kraken-”

“Can you prove they don’t exist?” Jeongwoo leans over the table to yell at Haruto. In a way that isn’t as subtle as he thinks it is, Jeongwoo’s eyes widen as he jerks his head in the direction of Junkyu’s tray.

“You can’t be serious you dumba-”

“Hey, hey, stop. You’re freaking Junkyu out,” Jaehyuk pouts.

Junghwan speaks for the first time, and Junkyu’s heart leaps at the tiny voice from beside him. “So are we the only people you know here?”

“Yeah, actually. But Hyunsuk has pointed out some other important faces, so...”

“So you’ve seen Jihoon?” Haruto monotones. 

Junkyu is spared the chance to fumble stupidly over the words in his head by Jeongwoo, who has recovered from Haruto’s string of insults long enough for his face to light up with mischief. “Has he mentioned the captain of the soccer team yet? Or is he saving himself the embarrassment for a later date?”

Hyunsuk flushes red so quickly Junkyu fears he’ll start hyperventilating. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”

“Really? You’ve forgotten in the ten minutes since you last mentioned him?”

“No idea.”

Jeongwoo rifles in the pocket of his baseball jacket. “Well I have some some texts that could jog your memory, if you-” 

Hyunsuk darts out of his seat. 

Jeongwoo is fast enough that he dodges the first grab at his phone, but Hyunsuk soon has his hands on it, tugging it without effort from Jeongwoo’s desperate struggling. Haruto laughs from behind them; Jaehyuk is shaking his head with a smile. Jeongwoo darts for the phone again and Hyunsuk grabs him. 

Junkyu sees his opening and turns to Jaehyuk. “Who’s the soccer captain?” 

Jaehyuk taps the side of his nose. “You’ll see him eventually. For now, best to spare Hyunsuk the embarrassment.” Jaehyuk’s attention flickers to the wrestling match currently happening behind their table- Hyunsuk’s cheeks are still slightly rosey. “He would and could kill me.”

They laugh as Jeongwoo opens his mouth widely and Hyunsuk jolts to cover it.

“I hope you’re enjoying your first day, Junkyu” Haruto drawls, eyes still on his scrapping friends “cause this is pretty standard.”

The chaos they’re causing is enough to draw eyes their way, but Junkyu finds for the first time that day, he doesn’t care. Their weight falls on his back, but all he sees are smiles and scraps of food, as Junghwan and Jaehyuk start to throw it again. 

Jeongwoo spins in Hyunsuk’s arms and snaps his teeth in the direction of a scrap of bread, failing to catch it in his mouth.

Junkyu’s cheeks are aching again, but the smile feels different now. “I could get used to it.”


	3. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:   
> Not Shy- Itzy  
> Own Me- Bülow

As it turns out, Haruto’s one of the new transfer students Hyunsuk had mentioned, and not much more familiar with the school than Junkyu is. Which might explain their current predicament.

Really, he should have seen this coming.

Junkyu had survived his first and second days without much mishap- sure, he was still ready to pass out whenever a new student met his eye or he had to enter an unfamiliar classroom, but when he had shown up on the second day, Hyunsuk had been waiting by his locker, and Jaehyuk had slung an arm around his shoulders and walked him to all his classes. It seemed they hadn’t turned their backs on him like he had feared, and maybe he was, actually, a member of the friendship group. However, that had meant that on the third day, he had been left to Haruto. Hyunsuk had some sort of student council meeting to attend, and Jaehyuk, along with Jeongwoo (who he’d been informed would be more harm than good anyway), had been called away for track practice. And whilst Haruto had ensured the others that he could show Junkyu to his first period, that was proving most definitely to not be the case.

“I’m sure we’ve been down this corridor before,” Junkyu says now, dragging his feet over the squeaking linoleum.

They pass under a familiar poster advertising the photography club in large, glittery letters and Haruto stops, scratching a hand through messy, dark hair. 

“But,” he spins half a circle, “I’m sure...”

“I told you, if we’re lost, there’s a map in my locker, we can just go get it.”

Haruto clicks and points down a corridor branching off to their right. “This way- it’s this way.”

Junkyu sighs but follows him anyway. They’ve been wandering for at least twenty minutes now, but he lets Haruto lead him down another corridor and another, fully aware that the boy has no idea where they’re going. Haruto turns a final corner with a confident stride, and then stops.

“You have to be kidding me,” Junkyu groans.

Blue lockers line the corridor to either side, the double doors to the parking lot are shut before them. They’re back to where they started.

“But- that doesn’t make-”

Junkyu huffs out a reluctant laugh as Haruto spins every which way, squinting. “Well, if we’re here we might as well just get the map.”

Junkyu heads for his locker, and Haruto falls into step behind him. He mutters a quiet “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Junkyu riffles through the mess that is already pilling up in his locker. He searches his bag first, but can’t see the map. The pockets of his jacket are also empty. 

Haruto impatiently taps his fingers on a locker next to him. 

“I’ll be back in a sec,” he says, and then leaves.

Junkyu searches his bag again, still nothing. 

He starts to riffle through the books at the bottom, picking them up one by one and shaking them for any loose papers. He sticks his head further into the locker, trying to see into the dark space at the back.

It’s then he feels the change in the air- a stillness has settled, the air a little colder. It buzzes beside him.

Junkyu gulps, and looks down to see a pair of shoes under his locker door. He jumps so much he hits his head on the top of it. He pulls back with a groan, and then leaps backwards, as his locker door snaps shut.

Even behind the huge, dark sunglasses, Junkyu can tell who it is. 

Jihoon smiles at him, a palm pressed flat against his locker. “Lost?”

Junkyu’s tongue feels like lead, and he feels the sides of his mouth twitch up and down into awkward, almost smiles. 

Jihoon is still wearing that ridiculous pink feathery coat, and pink strands of shining hair fall across his face as he tips his head to the side. The grin widens. “You’re the newbie right? The one Hyunsuk and his little gang are showing around.”

Junkyu gulps again and nods too quickly.

Jihoon laughs behind his teeth. "Cute."

“Junkyu!”

Hyunsuk skids into the corridor, Haruto following him with a guilty expression as if he’d just been scolded. Hyunsuk’s eyes flicker quickly over the scene, and he’s by Junkyu’s side before he can even greet him.

“Jihoon,” he says, “good morning. What are you up to now?”

Jihoon makes a show of smiling wider, though from behind his glasses, Junkyu can't tell if his eyes are on him or Hyunsuk. “Just saying hello. I like making friends,” Jihoon’s hand slowly trails down Junkyu’s arm “ you know.”

Hyunsuk tugs Junkyu in the opposite direction, not sparing another glance for Jihoon as he marches them away.

“You should have called me earlier, Ruto” he huffs, leading them through a door Junkyu is sure is off-limits, “this is worse than I thought it’d be.”

“What’s wrong?” Junkyu frowns. 

Hyunsuk’s shock is so sudden it looks like Junkyu had slapped him. His mix-matched trainers screech as he skids to a stop, arm still at Junkyu’s elbow. “You were talking to Jihoon.”

“-And?”

Hyunsuk’s eyes widen even more at Junkyu’s confusion, his voice rising into a shriek that sounds like he’s trying to check Junkyu is remembering the details properly, checking he isn’t stuck in some delusion- “Alone?!”

“He- he just said he wanted to be friends.”

“Pfft, he’d sooner eat you alive,” Haruto mutters.

Junkyu isn’t sure why he feels the need to convince them its nothing, isn’t sure why his stomach suddenly feels hollow and his cheeks are burning with a heat so different from his usual body temperature. Hyunsuk, at least, seems more aware of how uncomfortable he is than Haruto, who is squinting at him with a blank expression, and turns around. He propels himself up the stairs with an arm on the rails, and Junkyu has to fit every step not to trip up.

“Jihoon doesn’t really have 'friends'.”

“Just lackeys,” Haruto adds, “and maybe a few worshippers...”

Junkyu can’t help but think back to what Jihoon had called _them_ , but Hyunsuk shoves them through a door in the wall, and points to a room down the hall.

“And don’t let me hear from you again until lunch, alright” he points at Haruto.

The younger boy nods at him and waves him away, and then they’re walking into an already-full class (Junkyu doubled over so much he wishes he’ll disappear, Haruto bursting in and walking straight-backed, hands in pockets, to his desk) half an hour late. 

Their teachers shoots them daggers for the rest of the lesson, and then Junkyu is trailing another student back through the corridors to his next lesson, not trusting the incredibly vague directions Haruto tells him. Jaehyuk is normally in this class to chat to him and constantly pull him out of his vacant staring, but Junkyu walks out of it to find Hyunsuk running along the hall towards him, racing back from the council meeting. He asks Junkyu about his classes as he leads him again, without question, to the cafeteria.

The flawless white tile and tables are exactly the same before the frosted glass windows, but as soon as they leave the lunch line with overflowing trays in their hands, Junkyu freezes. There is one difference, today- Jihoon is here.

He sits at a long table in the very center of the room, the seats stretching either side of him completely empty. The dark haired boy Junkyu had seen before sits across from him, in the same high-collared, frilly clothes as before, but Jihoon is very obviously ignoring whatever he’s talking about. His jacket is thrown over the back of his chair, and his dark clothes are even more noticeable now. His monochrome, striped jumper is ripped to pieces, and he's wearing dark, many-pocketed khakis and- visible where he's crossed his ankles on top of the table- thick, leather combats. He’s slouched low in his seat, staring at his phone, sunglasses resting in his hair. The other boy has a lunch tray, but all there is in front of Jihoon is a clear coffee mug. He’s doing nothing to hide the deep, red liquid inside it.

That explains Haruto's eat you alive joke, at least.

“I thought you said he didn’t have friends.”

“What?” Hyunsuk frowns at Junkyu’s slightly breathless voice, before following his eyeline. “Oh, Doyoung? He doesn’t count, he’s too rich to need an actual personality.”

As they watch, the dark haired boy- Doyoung- chucks a fry into the air, and leans back with his mouth open wide. The fry hits him in the eye; he doubles over, rubbing at it with a yelp. Jihoon peaks around his phone just long enough to squint at him and click his tongue, as though disappointed, but not for the first time. Doyoung fidgets under his glare- and Jihoon’s eyes flicker over to Junkyu. They linger for a second, then roll to where Hyunsuk looks over his shoulder. 

Jihoon raises one eyebrow and flicks his head a little to the side. The way Hyunsuk bristles tells Junkyu it’s only half meant as a greeting.

Hyunsuk starts towards the usual table, and Junkyu follows. “He doesn’t, actually, you know-”

“Drink blood? No, he does. But don’t worry, all the blood in the cafeteria was donated to blood banks. As much as this lot will try to convince you otherwise-” Hyunsuk drops between Haruto and Junghwan, and juts his chin in Jihoon and Doyoung's direction “-the vamps wouldn’t actually try to kill you. Probably.”

Junkyu gulps thickly, his eyes straying back to the center table. Doyoung has taken a flask out and is drinking from it with a neon curly straw. Junkyu turns back around with a sickly taste in his mouth.

“Eat up,” Hyunsuk tells him, unphased, “and we can go find Jaehyuk and Jeongwoo on the field.”

And, even if his appetite has just run for the hills, Junkyu finds that he's started to miss Jaehyuk's irritatingly constant presence, so he forces a few pieces of fried squid down his throat, and lets Hyunsuk lead him outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> .......I'm really sorry Doyoung I love you, this does not reflect how I actually see you


	4. On Track

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:  
> Golden- Harry Styles (Jaehyuk's song)  
> B.L.T- Treasure

Hyunsuk leads them with bold steps across the wide field just behind the cafeteria, and soon they’re walking in greener parts, where less students tread. There’s white paint among the blades that slide under Junkyu’s feet here, framing a small soccer pitch, and Hyunsuk darts in and out of the markings, spinning as he dribbles an imaginary ball. Haruto walks slower behind them, earphones pressed into his ears, but Junkyu laughs, and the sound makes a figure in the distance turn towards them. 

Jaehyuk waves, but then drops into the same crouch as the boy next to him. Hyunsuk makes a little excited noise in his throat and grips Junkyu’s shoulder, pulling him closer so they stand at the edge of a painted running track. 

“Just in time,” he smiles.

There’s a loud beeping noise, and Junkyu’s breath catches in his throat.

Jaehyuk explodes forwards; the boy next to him just as fast. They race towards them so fast Junkyu barely has time to see their faces scrunched up in effort, and then they throw themselves around a curve, racing away again. The other figure lags behind a little, and just as Jaehyuk makes the final corner, it stumbles. Jaehyuk passes the start line and slides to a stop.

“Ugh, again?” A voice growls, and Junkyu looks away from Jaehyuk’s happy jumping to see the other runner sat on the grass. Jeongwoo slaps at the ground either side of him and flops angrily onto his back.

Hyunsuk tuts and walks towards them, going to drag Jeongwoo out of his dramatics as Jaehyuk picks up his phone and jogs to meet Junkyu. 

Jeongwoo’s glare looks far cuter with Hyunsuk’s arms circling his shoulders and waddling him over to them, but he still huffs when Jaehyuk reaches out to ruffle his hair. Haruto, now by their side, laughs at this, and it does nothing to improve his grumbling.

“You’re- you’re so fast,” Junkyu pants, his mind still trying to accept the blur of the two runners.

Hyunsuk beams, but Jeongwoo rolls his eyes. 

“I’ll beat him next time,” he murmurs.

“Hey, stop that” Hyunsuk hits at his arm, “no one on the track team but you has ever beaten Jaehyuk. You’re really fast, Jeongwoo.”

Jeongwoo doesn’t quite manage to hide his smile, as Hyunsuk peeks around his shoulder into his face. He rubs at his nose, his voice small and sunny: “Really?”

“ _ So _ fast,” Hyunsuk says, “you’ll make a great wolf.”

Junkyu’s mouth forms a little O that makes Jaehyuk giggle, but the tall boy shakes his head when Junkyu points a finger in his direction.

“Not me. I’m just a friend, not a wolf.”

Jeongwoo steps out of Hyunsuk’s loosened grip and puffs out his chest, hands on his hips. “I’m gonna be in Hyunsuk’s pack when I’m older.”

Hyunsuk hits him lightly over the head, exhaling a laugh. “Seriously.” He pats his blue hair flat at the back, a nervous tick, even though this conversation sounds well-rehearsed by now. “We’ll see what you present as first, huh, pup?”

Haruto scuffs his feet through the grass, but Jaehyuk scrunches his nose up happily, as Jeongwoo turns bashful. Junkyu feels his lips twitching upwards. He isn’t the only other wolf, then, he thinks. Jeongwoo’s bickering and scrapping, his constant sticking to Hyunsuk’s side, how he hangs on his every word and plays up for his attention- they’re all things he’s seen in someone else, too.

“Sorry we left you alone today,” Jaehyuk’s raspy voice breaks him out of his thoughts, “did you get on okay?”

Haruto has the sense to dip his head before Hyunsuk can look at him. “Haruto dragged him all around half the school before I found them, I had to leave student council to go take them to class. Which they were late for, obviously.”

“How _did_ you find us?” Junkyu asks, though he’d lacked the brain functions to notice earlier, Haruto had been gone less than a minute before Hyunsuk had shown up, and had already proved quite spectacularly that his sense of direction was questionable. There’s no way he could have gone to get Hyunsuk.

Hyunsuk scratches his temple for a second, then says slowly, as if he’s trying to pick out the best words to explain- “Haruto called for me, in a way. I could feel that something was wrong, and then he howled, so I went to find him."

“Huh? But I didn't hear anything?”

“You wouldn’t, he just called me,” Hyunsuk taps his temple, “so I knew his location. Good thing I understood, too. Jihoon was at Junkyu’s locker when I showed up.” 

He says the last bit to Jaehyuk, whose eyebrows disappear into his hair, but Jeongwoo snaps around from where he’d crouched to pick up a ladybug.

“He spoke to the vampires?” He practically yells, eyes flying around the group.

Hyunsuk shakes his head. “Just one, Doyoung wasn’t there.”

Junkyu feels himself getting uncomfortable again at the subject, but, luckily, the attention isn’t on him for long. 

“Aaahaha,” Jaehyuk laughs and points at Jeongwoo in a way that can’t be good. Junkyu gets the feeling he's missing something. “Obvious much?”

“Shut up, goat boy,” Jeongwoo snaps.

Haruto shoves his earphones into his pocket. “Seriously though, you have the worst taste of anyone I’ve ever met.”

_Wait_.

“What?” Junkyu flinches at how loud and high is voice is, but the others just laugh as they turn to him.

“No, no not Jihoon, thank the stars” Hyunsuk wags a finger.

“Oh great, yeah, now the new guy can give me crap too.”

“He’s dumb as dirt, Woo,” Haruto drones, and Junkyu thinks he understands.

“You like Doyoung?”

Jeongwoo’s ears turn into rubys. He darts toward Jaehyuk, who squawks and dodges, racing away across the track. Junkyu watches as they twist and turn around each other, Jeongwoo’s hands never quite reaching Jaehyuk, but always an inch away from grabbing him. He can see Jaehyuk’s huge grin from here, and though Jeongwoo still seems to be spitting curses at him, the sound of both of their laughter reaches him on the sunlight.

“Truth be told, most of the school thinks _they're_ dating,” Hyunsuk says into Junkyu’s ear. Junkyu’s eyes blow so wide he feels like they might pop out of his skull- sure, Jaehyuk and Jeongwoo seem really close, but even over the few days he's known them, they've bickered and fought so much they seem like siblings. Hyunsuk shrugs like he finds it funny too. “Yeah, it's ridiculous. But somehow, they don’t seem to have noticed.”

“Speaking of crushes.” Haruto juts his chin down the field in a way that reminds Junkyu an awful lot of Hyunsuk. 

Said werewolf is currently trying to kick Haruto’s legs out from under him, which leaves Junkyu to squint confusedly around the field.

There’s another group of students gathering a way off to the left, just starting to warm up in front of what must be a teacher, turned away from them in a dark jacket different from their strips. The group is too far away for Junkyu to make out anyone’s face, and then Jaehyuk blocks his view, rushing back into sight.

“Hyunsuk, look who’s-”

“Ruto already bet you to it, you little brats,” Hyunsuk growls.

Distantly, the bell rings, the sound small and buzzing across the grass.

“Thank God,” Hyunsuk groans, “come on, we can’t make Junkyu late for class twice today.”

Jeongwoo darts past them, slapping Haruto’s arm. 

Haruto bolts after him, and Junkyu finds himself between Hyunsuk and Jaehyuk again, as they walk back out of the sun and into the racket of the emptying cafeteria. When the crowd clears enough for Junkyu to see the table in the middle of the room, Jihoon and Doyoung are already gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3  
> I try to read everything over, but if there's any mistakes, feel free to let me know!


	5. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:  
> Misfit- NCT U  
> Like I Do- AWA

Junkyu supposes this was bound to happen eventually. 

The few days he’s already spent in Hyunsuk’s friendship group, the happy feeling of being included, his anxiety at having to transfer fading away- it had to stop sometime. Something was bound to happen; things couldn’t stay perfect forever. 

He’d hoped it would last longer, this time, at this school. But as the days waned, the inevitable had crept closer and closer. And now it was happening, again. 

Why did this have to happen every time? Would he never escape it, chasing him forever like a ghost come to snatch his joy away?

“Junkyu, you’re gonna have to run.”

Junkyu’s breath heaves in and out as he groans, “Again?” He doubles over, hands on his knees. “Just leave me here. I can’t last much longer.”

Hyunsuk sighs and puts his hands on his hips. “Junkyu that was just a warm up match, we haven’t even started yet.”

“What?”

Junkyu’s head snaps up to see Jaehyuk dart passed them with the ball, passing it back and forth as Jeongwoo sticks to his side, trying to kick it from between his legs.  Hyunsuk steps forward and rubs circles across Junkyu’s back, shaking his head as he waits for him to stop panting. “You alright?”

Junkyu straightens and nods roughly, clutching his side, air hissing between his teeth. It makes a slight cloud before him. Despite the sun, a chill is in the air that Junkyu feels in his bones, and he stares wide-eyed at Hyunsuk’s bare skin. 

The wolves, obviously, are playing in short sleeves and shorts.

“Aren’t you cold?” Junkyu asks.

Hyunsuk shrugs, no doubt having already noticed Junkyu isn’t shaking and blushing like the other students in their P.E. class. “Don’t really get cold anymore,” is all he says. 

Jeongwoo beams at him as Hyunsuk drags Junkyu back over to the group gathering around their teacher, and moves closer to hang on the wolf’s arm in a way that looks subconscious.

“Just how unfit are you?” he gapes at Junkyu, and Jaehyuk hits him on the arm.

The teacher soon has them split into smaller groups, and a kind of obstacle course set up: pushups; dribbling courses; relays; long jump; padding on the grass that doesn’t make Junkyu feel better. At least this seems to be their teacher's excuse to ignore them for the rest of the lesson, and they’re left mostly to their own devices. 

Jeongwoo disappears into a group across the grass, where Yedam turns and smiles at him. But with the half-of-the-year crowd split up, it becomes easier to see some people Junkyu had missed initially, and Hyunsuk groans as a familiar figure sways towards them.

“Since when did you even show up to P.E classes?”

Jihoon’s clothes are surprisingly different, though- his coat’s missing, replaced by a dark hoodie and joggers, and he’s wearing trainers, albeit ones that make it look like he’s too rich to run. It’s strange, seeing him in ordinary clothes. Seeing that his usual aura doesn’t change, even when he’s dressed like everyone else, without lackeys, his skin and the pink of his hair pale in the sunlight. 

Eyes follow him from all directions; he takes his time, moving slowly.

“Physical education and well-being have always been very close to my heart,” Jihoon says. 

“And where’s that,” Junkyu mutters, and instantly regrets it.

Jihoon looks in his direction, as if just noticing he’s there, and Junkyu realises another thing that’s odd. 

He isn’t wearing sunglasses. 

He’s squinting slightly in the sun, but as Jihoon gets closer, Junkyu can see his eyes for the first time- though they look dark enough to be black in the shade, when the light hits them, the deep colour changes, so they seem to glow a little, blood-brown. They’re darkly lined too, in a way that Junkyu can’t decide is natural or not, but makes them hard to look at either way. 

“So you  _ can _ speak,” Jihoon grins. “I was beginning to think they just kept you around because you’re pretty.”

Junkyu resolves the rows of gleaming white teeth aren’t any easier to look at, and turns away.

“Leave him alone, Jihoon,” Hyunsuk says. He’s already halfway through their push-ups set, and Jaehyuk next to him looks up for long enough to scowl at Jihoon. The vampire winks at him, but surprises them all by dropping to the mat. Junkyu shuffles unhappily, pulling at his sleeves.

Hyunsuk doesn’t even look up. “Come on Junkyu, it won’t kill you.”

Not wanting to argue with Jihoon’s gaze still on him, Junkyu relents. They finish the set and rush to the next, the students waiting behind them in the circuit huffing and muttering as Jihoon finds a way to slow them down at every chance, sometimes teasing Hyunsuk, sometimes flashing his eyes a deeper shade of red at Junkyu, in a way that makes the others angry. Junkyu isn’t sure where the reactions come from, but Jihoon is doing nothing to redeem himself.

_ He’d sooner eat you alive,  _ Junkyu hears in his head, and keeps his distance anyway.

Its only once they’ve reached the second last section, with cones set up in twisting patterns and two soccer balls waiting for them, that Jihoon’s started to work with them properly. 

Jaehyuk pulls Junkyu to the front and they dribble between the course, Jaehyuk steadily, Junkyu tripping over his own feet every few steps. 

He loses control of the ball once and it rolls away, Jihoon coughing to cover up his laughter. Hyunsuk glares at him, but then the balls are passed to them and they set off. Jihoon moves elegantly and smoothly through the cones, but Hyunsuk still makes it back in half his time. 

Junkyu feels the blush reseed from his cheeks as Hyunsuk passes the ball to the students behind him without a word. He’s trying not to show his irritation, but Junkyu can see it in the way his mouth is set, and wonders how much the other's speed had to do with him.

Jaehyuk is beaming at the wolf, and Junkyu turns his head to see their teacher watching them, glancing up for the first time since the start of the lesson. 

Jihoon catches the movement too, and looks Hyunsuk up and down once as he walks back to them. One eyebrow is raised and he’s smiling again, but Junkyu can’t tell if he’s amused to have caused such a reaction or impressed. 

He drags his eyes away before Jihoon can meet them.

“I’m telling you Hyunsuk, you  _ have _ to join the soccer team,” Jaehyuk is saying.

Junkyu blanks. The image of Hyunsuk from yesterday plays in his mind, dancing over the field, manipulating an invisible ball around the empty pitch. “You mean he  _ isn’t _ on the team?” Hyunsuk glances over quickly, and Junkyu’s mouth falls open. “Because of-”

Jaehyuk nods, crossing his arms. “He’s so afraid to talk to him that he won’t even try out.”

“Woah woah woah, one second” Jihoon’s grin splits his face in half, and his eyes light up so fast Junkyu thinks he hears sparks. “Does little goodie two shoes Hyunsuk _like_ _someone_?” 

“I’m not talking about this with him-” 

“Please tell me it’s the Captain.” Jihoon ignores the way Hyunsuk is turning away from them all, the same colour of pink he always turns when Jeongwoo and Jaehyuk tease him at lunchtimes. He gasps loud enough to draw eyes, and laughs. “Oh my God it is isn’t it! The Class President fancys the Captain of the soccer team? It must be Christmas.”

“Jaehyuk-”

“Oh come on Hyunsuk, this is silly,” Jaehyuk’s pout is turning sad, even with Jihoon now leaning over his shoulder, and Junkyu standing nervously to the side. “You love soccer!”

“Who is it,” Jihoon demands “tell me, I’ll help you.”

“You- you don’t know?” Hyunsuk frowns. 

Jihoon throws his arms wide, gesturing to himself with his brow furrowed. “Do I look like the kind of nerd who goes to school sporting events?”

Hyunsuk’s face is starting to change now, clearly angry, and Jaehyuk steps closer to him. “Do you pay any attention to the people around you?”

“Why would I do that? It’s usually the other way around.”

“Waw,” Hyunsuk turns to Jaehyuk, holding himself so straight it looks like his entire body is tensed, agitated enough to make the ever-present smile on the later falter a little. ”You seriously want to trust him with this?”

“He said he could help,” Jaehyuk tries, voice quiet and soft. He isn’t meet Hyunsuk’s eyes, and Junkyu finds his own stray from the alpha to the grass under his feet. His heartbeat thrums in his ears, like the sound of waves trapped in seashells. 

Jihoon looks away across the field, unfazed. 

“If you don’t trust me, that’s fine, but you have to admit, you aren’t getting anywhere on your own,” he looks back at Hyunsuk, and his eyes glitter, “and this is kind of my area of expertise.”

Hyunsuk clenches his jaw. “What are you saying?”

“Let’s make a deal.” Jihoon steps forward, so he’s standing on a blue padded mat, where Junkyu had just watched one student get thrown onto his back by another. Their teacher is only a few paces away now, but is still hiding their phone behind a clipboard in a way they think they can’t see. He doesn’t look up at Jihoon’s words. “If Jaehyuk beats me at wrestling, I’ll pretend I never heard anything. Cross my heart. But, if I beat Jaehyuk, you let me help you.”

Hyunsuk and Jaehyuk frown at each other at the edge of the mat. Jihoon smirks once at Junkyu, then raises a brow. Jaehyul shrugs and steps on to the mat.

With the two of them facing each other, Junkyu’s almost certain Jihoon doesn’t stand a chance. Though there isn’t much difference in height, Jaehyuk is unquestionably stronger, with much more muscle than Jihoon seems to have, and Junkyu has already seen him fight Jeongwoo, beat him in countless races. Even ignoring Jihoon’s obvious lack of interest in sports- and his attitude- Jaehyuk is far more likely to win. 

“What is he thinking?” Hyunsuk huffs with a shake of his head.

Junkyu gulps. Why did Jihoon even suggest the bet, when the other students have stopped what they’re doing to point at them as they grip bands at each other’s waist, and the murmuring makes it clear Hyunsuk isn’t the only one betting on Jaehyuk?

Jihoon looks at them over Jaehyuk’s back.

Hyunsuk raises his fingers to his lips and gives a short, sharp whistle. 

Jaehyuk throws his weight forward, and Jihoon stumbles. The students behind them clap and cheer, but then Jihoon regains his footing. He darts to the side. His foot is hooked around Jaehyuk’s before the other students can even react, and he shoves his shoulder forward, toppling him. Jaehyuk’s back hits the ground with a thump. 

A few students yelp, and the teacher darts forward, going to lean over Jaehyuk.  Jihoon turns to Hyunsuk, frozen with his hands either side of his head. He undoes the band at his waist and trods back over the mat. 

“Maybe it’s you who should be paying more attention to people, alpha.” Hyunsuk bristles as Jihoon steps closer, eyes dark, a smile playing along his lips. “Don’t forget the deal,” he says, and slides between them, not looking back as he heads towards the school building. 

Jaehyuk stands up rubbing his neck, as their teacher yells after Jihoon. The other students are watching him with looks of awe as he struts away, and Junkyu turns to meet Jeongwoo’s eye just as Jihoon shouts, “See you around, freaks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written pretty fast, so I'm sorry if there're any mistakes!


	6. Sketching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
> Conan Gray- Maniac  
> Conan Gray- The King (Yedam's song)

Hyunsuk had barely thought of anything else all weekend- there's two brief days of trying to catch up in all of his extra classes, with Jaehyuk texting him every hour on the hour, asking if he’s alright and if he’s remembering to eat and if he’s sleeping well, and then he’s back in a sunny classroom behind frosted glass windows. He hadn’t been able to make himself focus enough to finish the play they’d been told to read for English, and he keeps his head down, hoping that his teacher will assume the furious scribbles he’s carving into his notebooks are the passionate notes of an amateur playwright. He imagines the assumption as they turn from the board, but it only conjures Jihoon’s voice inside his head. 

He hadn’t seen him since last week. Last week, when he’d found out about Hyunsuk’s crush and tricked him into letting him ‘help’. Hyunsuk’s stomach does a few backflips, and he scribbles harder. 

He has no reason to believe Jihoon knows who it is yet- and if he doesn’t know that, he can’t possibly interfere- but he’s been on panic mode since then anyway, thinking at any moment he’ll see the tell-tale flamingo coat waltz through the door, Jihoon whip of his sunglasses and pronounce his coming doom. 

His page is covered in black ink by the time the bell makes him jolt out of his seat, half of the lines filled in with harsh sketches of the soccer pitch and bleachers, the shoes he’d just customised in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep, a dozen small clocks and flowers, but there are words, too. They creep around the strings of leaves, are threaded between graffiti-style diamonds and claw marks. He’d never been very good at poetry. He writes it anyway, but it’s always about the same thing. 

The students around him start leaving, and he jumps, scrambling to cover the words. He huffs a laugh, shaking his head, and throws everything back into his backpack. He doesn’t spare the words- which are now almost painful to look at- another glance as he crumples the page, dropping it into a trash can as he goes. Jeongwoo will be waiting for him outside already, and he rushes into the corridor so quickly that he collides with another student, just outside the door.

Hyunsuk says a hasty apology and pushes himself faster towards the exit. 

The other boy rubs his shoulder. He walks into the empty classroom without a word- early, as always- and stops when he kicks something soft. A ball of paper rolls under the desk at his side and he bends, picking it up. The corner of a monochrome flurry of flowers is just visible where the paper has curled.

He frowns and unfurls it, and a slow smile creeps over his lips.

**

Jaehyuk drops his paintbrush for the third time this lesson.

He keeps throwing glances around Junkyu, from where they’re sat in rows of semi-circles at the art room’s tiny, separate desks. Jihoon pretends not to notice for the upteenth time, lazily sketching the bowl of fruit in front of them. His supposed nonchalance is only half convincing, however, as he keeps trying to casually draw them into conversation, in ways that are becoming less and less subtle. 

“Short distance, cool” Jihoon mumbles “But just to go back to soccer for a second, when did you say the next big match was again?”

“I didn’t,” Jaehyuk sighs. Despite his almost clumsy, overly-social impression, Jaehyuk has been surprisingly good at deflecting Jihoon’s questions. He picks up his paintbrush and shakily adds shading to the grapes he’s spent all lesson on, and Jihoon smiles at him innocently behind his sunglasses. 

“Right.”

“Jihoon,” their teacher says again. She’s leaning near Yedam- who sat beside Jaehyuk when they walked in, but has been giving his attention to a group of giggling students Junkyu doesn’t know- peering closely at the canvas turned away from them. Though she had looked at Jihoon like she’d never seen him before when he strolled in late, she’s reprimanded him every ten minutes so far. Yedam smirks as she points to his sketchbook with a glare.

Jihoon smiles at her and nods, and she turns away with a slightly dazed expression, like clockwork.

Jaehyuk makes a little unhappy noise at the back of his throat, but Jihoon speaks before he has a chance to. 

“What about you, have you thought of what extracurricular you’re going to choose yet?” He isn’t looking at Junkyu, but he has one eyebrow cocked in a way that tells Junkyu he’s being addressed. “Every student has to join at least one club.”

“Um, no I- I’m not sure”

Jihoon’s head turns to where Junkyu is frowning. “Really, cause sign up ends this week- did your nerds not tell you that?” He says the last bit with a jab of his pencil in Jaehyuk’s direction, but the dark haired boy rises as the bell rings loudly. “Most of the clubs will be full by now, I’d guess, ‘specially the music ones.”

“Damn,” Junkyu breaths.

“You called?”

Junkyu turns to see Yedam approaching them, slinging a bag over his shoulder. Jaehyuk clasps the hand he offers, and Yedam smiles. 

He’d noticed it briefly before, but Junkyu blinks, taken aback- his smile is wide and sharp, taking up half of his face, and long, auburn hair falls into his eyes. Yedam’s clothes have the same disheveled look- a long, faded t-shirt and ripped jeans- but the overall impression looks oddly put together. He looks cooler than anyone Junkyu could force himself to approach. One of Yedam’s eyebrows twitches upwards.

“No we didn’t literally no one wants you here,” Jihoon pushes Yedam’s face away with a hand on his head. 

His voice cuts through Junkyu’s awkward stressing, and Jaehyuk tutts at him. Yedam stays at their side as they trace their way through the hallways, walking beside Junkyu in a way that forces Jihoon to walk behind him.

“Sorry, we didn’t meet earlier,” he says, “I’m normally better mannered.”

“It’s fine,” Junkyu breaths.

“I’ve been busy with music club, is all.”

Yedam’s grin turns inquisitive as Junkyu stumbles and stops walking. A cool breeze spirals around them from the open door they stand by. “You’re in the music club?”

Yedam’s mouth twitches in a soundless laugh “You could say that, yeah.”

“He practically runs in,” Jaehyuk cuts in, “he’s been in it since first year, wins all the competitions, writes songs with Hyunsuk, plays-”

“Etcetera etcetera,” Jihoon mumbles.

Jaehyuk frowns at him, and he taps his foot against the tile, throwing an arm towards the open door.

The sunlight flares in Yedam’s eyes. “We’re pretty full at the minute, but if you want to join, I’m sure I could put in a good word for you.”

“That-” Junkyu smiles as Jaehyuk clasps his hands, scrunching up his nose “that would be nice of you, thanks.”

“So you’re, what” Yedam steps out into the sun and they trail after him, walking slowly over the grass to the back of the building “a guitarist? Drummer?”

“I sing, actually, but I play piano too.”

Junkyu tries not to feel proud at the impressed half-smile on Yedam’s face, but Jaehyuk looks proud enough for the both of them anyway.

They reach the back of the school and the bleachers come into sight, with a few scattered figures soaking up the sun before afternoon classes.

Jihoon’s shoes kick up dry dirt as he stops, tilting his head. “Don’t you have someone to flirt with or something?”

“Jaehyuk, Junkyu!”

Hyunsuk waves at them from the bottom row of the bleachers, and Yedam nods at him before stepping away with a hit of Jaehyuk’s back. 

“Well, see you later then, Junkyu.” 

He turns fully and disappears back towards the main school building, already talking to someone by the time he steps into the shade.

Jihoon seems to have no such plans of leaving, and follows them to where Hyunsuk is waiting. Haruto lies across the bench behind him, and Jeongwoo’s head is in Hyunsuk’s lap, his mouth hanging slightly open. 

Hyunsuk frowns when he sees the vampire, but then glances around. “Where’s Doyoung?”

“Damned if I know, probably thinking the gum dispenser in the bathroom’s a claw machine again.”

Jaehyuk hits Jeongwoo’s jaw so it shuts and the wolf’s eyes snap open. He takes one glance at Jihoon and falls off the bench.

“What’s he doing here?”

Jaehyuk pulls him back onto the bench as Haruto pulls his earphones out, watching over Hyunsuk’s shoulders. 

“Just here to remind your alpha about our little bet,” Jihoon says around a smirk. Jeongwoo spins to Hyunsuk so fast Jaehyuk has to grab his leg to stop him toppling again.

Hyunsuk shakes his head. “How did you even beat Jaehyuk anyway?”

“What, likes it hard?”

“Yeah, it is.” Hyunsuk looks frazzled, and his voice comes out too loud as he squints at Jihoon. “He’s a chimera, he’s kind of custom built for wrestling.”

The vampire shrugs. “I do pilates.”

Hyunsuk throws his head back. The wolves try and fail not to watch him as he huffs.

“Not that I care, but why are you all out here? Don’t you lot need to eat?”

“Hyunsuk’s going to help us practice for the match” Jeongwoo says.

Jaehyuk and Hyunsuk meet eyes just as Jihoon’s flash red. “Match?”

Hyunsuk already has a hand clamped over Jeongwoo’s mouth, but Haruto nods. “The soccer match at the end of the week with the elite school nearby.”

“Ruto,” Jaehyuk whines.

“What it’s not as if he’ll show,” Haruto spits back, “it’s sports.”

“Oh no, I’ll be there. I would hate to miss a chance to cheer for the school,” Jihoon’s eyes fall to where Hyunsuk glares at him from the bleachers. Jeongwoo and Haruto share a confused glance, shuffling as if they’re starting to understand the other boys aren’t simply talking about sports.

“What bet are you talking about?” Jeongwoo says slowly. “Did you actually make a deal with him?”

Jihoon spreads his arms, with a frown that isn’t real. “I’m right here.”

“It was kind of my fault,” Jaehyuk says.

“Shut up, no it wasn’t.”

Jihoon laughs, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. “I’ll leave you to explain, shall I? Good luck with the shame.”

Hyunsuk growls lowly as Jihoon excuses himself with a bright wave, and then yelps as a dozen questions are yelled in his direction. The wolves, it seems, hadn’t been told about Hyunsuk’s miscalculation, and only after he’s explained it all do they back off. Hyunsuk looks ready to pass out, but Jaehyuk twists the conversation to the coming sports event and their tactics, how the other team will play, whether they’ll be against the same players as last year, and he seems to recover a little. Junkyu sits and listens vaguely, with no real interest, but finds his mind wander to the game anyway. As much as he doesn’t want to pry, the longer Hyunsuk keeps his feelings a secret, the more Junkyu starts to wonder about the soccer captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YedamYedamBangYedam  
> I'm back! I had an assigment to hand in :/ and now im freeeeeeeeeee
> 
> We hit 10,000 words??!?! This is now my longest fic on this account ?? (ohhhhh the shame)
> 
> ((If the chimera thing didn't make sense, Chimera's are part goat-which I took to mean have good balance- and lion- so fast and strong))...?


	7. Killjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
> Do I even have to say it this time....  
> Treasure- MMM

“Good morning Asahi,” Hyunsuk’s bright voice bounces through the corridor.

Junkyu frowns at the head that turns their way, the only other person in sight turning as they close a door at the other side of the hallway. He tries to fight it off as the boy nods a little to Hyunsuk, the movement halted by the stack of books perched on his platinum hair. Asahi walks past them without a word, but Hyunsuk beams.

“He must be in a good mood today,” he says.

“Sorry?”

“Oh, right,” Hyunsuk huffs fondly, “Asahi’s a new student too. He doesn’t talk a lot, but he’s just really shy, he’s nice really.”

There’s a huge crash from behind them, and Hyunusk jumps a mile into the air. They turn to see Asahi bend to pick his books up where they’ve scattered across the linoleum, his face still perfectly blank. Jihoon looks down at him, his arm still extended. It lowers as Asahi walks past him, books balanced on his head again, and he lets out a little giggle.

Hyunsuk sighs. “Seriously?” 

One side of Jihoon’s mouth quirks up as he strides towards them. “What? He never reacts to anything anyway- are we even sure it has emotions?”

“Yes, _he_ does, and he looked upset Jihoon,” Hyunsuk yells, “stop being such a bully.”

Jihoon clutches a hand over his heart as if he’s been gravely injured, and then shrugs. “I’m sure bot boy will get over it. So, what class is this again?”

Hyunsuk follows his finger to their classroom door. “That's a joke right?”

Jihoon shoves his hands into the pockets of his feathery jacket and looks at Junkyu behind his glasses.“You didn’t think I actually came 'for the goodness of my education'" he says, in a fake, high voice that sounds an awful lot like their principle's, "did you? I just followed you lot here.”

There’s a scuffle behind them, and Jeongwoo and Haruto burst around the corner. Their shoes squeak as they slide to a stop, their faces falling.

“At least I was punctual, unlike some people,” Jihoon lilts.

Hyunsuk groans at them all one more time before pushing them into class. He mutters an apology to the teacher, and the wolves follow him timidly to a table at the back. Jihoon takes one look at Yedam’s shocked face before he shoves him, taking the seat in the middle so that Junkyu has to sit next to him, Yedam pressed in beside the wall, across from Haruto. Jeongwoo hooks an arm around Hyunsuk’s, and the wolf stops his frowning.

“Ah, Japanese,” Jihoon says. His head is tilted at the board, and all of their heads snap his way. So he was serious, he really didn’t know what class this was. “Isn’t him being here kind of cheating?”

Haruto’s eyebrows knit together in a way that makes him look a bit like a wolf, but also a bit like a baby, and Hyunsuk hits Jihoon’s finger away. “He’s here to help. It’s good to be able to speak to a native, and he helps the teacher get round everyone.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes, unconvinced. “Meaning they couldn’t get him to take a different class from you and just put up with it cause you’re head boy or whatever?”

“Class president.”

“Why are you here?” Yedam says evenly. Junkyu peers around where Jihoon slouches to see a wide smile splitting Yedam’s face, his voice is like honey as he adds, “Come to think of it, you been hanging around a lot these days.” Hyunsuk pales under the eyes that turn his way, as Yedam wiggles his eyebrows. “Is there something you aren’t telling us?”

Haruto fights off a smile, eyes on the desk, but Jeongwoo sits up straighter. Jihoon smirks as if he already knows what’s coming.

“He isn’t Hyunsuk’s type.”

“I’m everyone’s type,” Jihoon shoots back, but then turns to Yedam. “But don’t be silly, Hyunsuk already has a crush on-”

Hyunsuk moves so fast Junkyu misses it- there’s a rush of air, and then Jihoon hums unhappily. Hyunsuk leans across the table, a hand thrown over Jihoon’s mouth. Yedam gasps loudly, his eyes alight.

“Suk do you like someone,” he whispers eagerly.

Hyunsuk’s mouth opens and closes uselessly. Jihoon rolls his eyes, and the wolf rips his hand back with a sudden yelp. He sits down quietly, as eyes turn their way, but peers at the hand he cradles near his chest. Junkyu gapes at two thin streams of blood that run across his fingertips.

Haruto and Yedam have started muttering to each other, and ignore the others as the rest of the class forgets the sudden commotion and goes back to their work. 

“Did you just _bite_ me?” Hyunsuk hisses. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Jihoon’s tongue flicks across his lips, as he pretends to listen to the teacher. “Pft, you’ll heal.”

“That only happens in movies!”

“And? You’ll still heal.”

Hyunsuk frowns at him, his eyes flickering darkly. Haruto and Jeongwoo’ eyes flicker away from him again, and Junkyu wonders, not for the first time, what they can sense from the wolf that the others can’t. “I don’t remember you telling anyone you wanted about... this, being part of the deal.”

Jihoon shrugs “Not my problem.”

Junkyu startles as Jeongwoo growls. His eyes change slightly, flickering with some unplaceable colour, before they settle and glare at Jihoon with their usual dark brown.

Jihoon tweaks his sunglasses down his nose with one pale finger- crimson eyes glint at Jeongwoo. “What’s that supposed to do, Pup?”

Jeongwoo’s ears turn bright red as he huffs and hides behind his notebook. Hyunsuk scowls at Jihoon.

“Seriously though, what’s the big deal if people know?” His voice is sincere enough to startle them, but then the usual teasing lilt is back, a challenge in his smirk. “Aren’t alphas supposed to be bold? Responsible?”

“I am respons-”

“So buck up. What’s so bad about telling him you like him?”

“I never said _he_.”

Jihoon arches an eyebrow. “Oh come on, I’m not Doyoung.”

Yedam and Haruto have started listening again, and Hyunsuk’s eyes flutter, uncertain, around the table. For a tense second, it feels like everyone is holding their breath, and Junkyu decides he can’t take it anymore. It’s been hard enough staying out of things this long, and he feels the need to break the strange mood that's settled.

“I was kind of looking forward to meeting him,” he admits quietly.

Yedam snorts, and Jihoon gives Hyunsuk a triumphant look. The wolf starts to blush.

Yedam sees Hyunsuk’s lips twitch where they’re shut tight, trying to frown, and takes his chance. “When are they supposed to be meeting this guy?”

“The match at the end of the week,” Hyunsuk mutters slowly.

“Well, obviously I want in too,” Yedam grins.

Hyunsuk groans, and throws his hands over his face. Junkyu can’t help but laugh at him, as Hyunsuk slides down his seat, but he’s huffing too, shaking his head as he starts to laugh at himself. 

“Stop being such a killjoy,” Jihoon sings. “You’re so serious all the time, it must be so tiring.”

Hyunsuk’s peaks between his fingers. “If you’re mean to Asahi again I’ll murder you.”

Jihoon nods as if that’s reasonable. “Fine, I’ll stop torturing the robot- and you’ll loosen up a little, Alpha.”

Hyunsuk shakes a hand through his hair, pretending to be annoyed, and the vampire giggles.

Jihoon and Yedam share a conspiratory look that makes Haruto gulp, but when the bell sounds, their notebooks are all still blank, and Hyunsuk has stopped glaring everytime Jihoon opens his mouth. Yedam agrees to meet them in the stands during the game, and says goodbye to them with the two younger wolves at the door.

Jihoon follows them to their next class. He sits with them again, and it feels different- Hyunsuk not as cold, Jaehyuk incapable of being mean to him for long, despite being very confused at the sudden peace. Haruto, Junghwan, Yedam, and Jeongwoo join them for lunch, and for once, there are no fights at all, playful or serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TREASURE IS OUT AND ITS SO GOOD AHHHHHHHHHH !!!!  
> Happy Comeback y'all, have this Asahi cameo :)  
> (he'll start showing up more from now on)
> 
> Thanks for reading again!! <3 Hope you're all well  
> ((I haven't proof read this yet I'm sorry if there are loads of mistakes, feel free to let me know))

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who got the 'here comes the one percent' line... you're a real one  
> Bad Girls is Jihoon's SoNg I'm sorry, I don't make the rules
> 
> Thanks for reading as always- comments are highly appreciated!


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